Didier Deschamps and Daniel Riolo will not go on vacation together. And yet… The current coach collaborated with the journalist in another life, when the After Foot show was making its debut and he was still a key consultant.
So Riolo did not hesitate to refer to this common past when he found Deschamps this Thursday, after the latter sued him for defamation following his comments about the management of Karim Benzema. “I was Deschamps’ biggest lawyer at the time. We had very good relations,” launched the RMC columnist at the start of the hearing, causing a burst of laughter in the room. Didier Deschamps’ response was quick to emerge:
” Ah good ? ».
A specific moment then caused the audience to fall into general unease, when Didier Deschamps’ lawyer reminded Daniel Riolo of a statement which had not gone unnoticed.
“You said your listeners knew what your words meant. You said that Deschamps was in “all the beautiful and shady affairs of French football, he is in it.” What does your audience understand?
Riolo owns his comments about Deschamps
And Daniel Riolo responds : “The first time I said that was when we found out he knew about Knysna. Forgive me, Master, but a legend of French football, when he is aware of the biggest scandal in French football, and he says nothing, yes, I find that fishy. »
“You can put the definition of shady wherever you want. I’m just saying: OMG, that was an incredible story. I am not saying that he was the captain of OM at that time, nor am I talking about his presence on the Phocéa, the boat of (Bernard) Tapie
(president of OM at that time). Well, he happened to be there, but that’s it. Afterwards, we can see innuendoes there. He is in it, he is around, next to it, in the atmosphere. I’m not saying he’s involved or that he did drugs, otherwise I’ll come back tomorrow. On the other hand, his agent (Jean-Pierre Bernès) was sentenced (for OM-VA)but I’m not saying it,” concluded Daniel Riolo, under the stunned gaze of Didier Deschamps.
